Americas: ADL, SafetyChain Software to automate food safety, quality assurance programs

Canadian dairy producer Amalgamated Dairies Limited (ADL) has selected SafetyChain Software, a food safety chain management systems (FSCMS) company, as its partner for a series of food safety and quality assurance automation initiatives. ADL will be using SafetyChain's FSCMS, SafetyChain for Food, to: •Automate the management of its supplier compliance programs; •Eliminate manual processes and create a central repository of FSQA data...

Europe: Food manufacturers reformulate products as consumers avoid certain foods, finds report

Food avoidance has become a way of life for tens of millions of consumers in the US, according to Research and Markets’ new report Food Formulation Trends: Ingredients Consumers Avoid. For consumers with allergies and intolerances, avoiding certain food and ingredients is a matter of life and death. For other consumers, avoiding various foods is a matter of choice based on...

Asia Pacific: NDTO leads 20 US companies on trade missions to China, Philippines, Singapore

Twenty North Dakota companies and organizations took part in trade missions to Philippines, Singapore and China in February and March 2014, which is led by North Dakota Trade Office (NDTO). Fourteen of these companies showcased their agricultural commodities and food products to more than 120 Chinese food manufacturers and processors at the second annual North Dakota ‘Better for You Food...

Asia Pacific: ANZ manufacturers offer organic, new flavored functional beverages to meet consumer demand, says report

Functional beverage manufacturers are acknowledging consumer demand for natural and organic beverages by investing in product innovation, new flavors, balanced nutrients and environment-friendly packages, according to a report by Frost & Sullivan. It states the segments to benefit the most from this rising preference for organic beverages are sugar-free energy drinks and fortified fruit juices. The latter is especially popular in...

Europe: Demand for ready-to-drink vegetable juices rises, says SIG Combibloc

SIG Combibloc has noticed a rising demand for vegetable juices due to a greater awareness of health by consumers. “We’re seeing that the number of vegetable juices offered in our carton packs is increasing steadily. And today, manufacturers’ product portfolios include more than just popular classics such as tomato juice. Particularly in the vegetable juices segment, food manufacturers are flexing...

Asia Pacific: Chr. Hansen opens office, center in China

Chr. Hansen says it has opened an office and Global Expertise Center in Shanghai, China. The new center focusing on natural color solutions was officially opened on 26 March, 2014. The company says China is the second largest economy in the world with a solid long-term growth outlook. It adds that Chinese consumers are increasingly concerned about the quality of the food...

Americas: McDonald’s honors Cargill with seven awards

McDonald’s has honored Cargill with seven “Best of Sustainable Supply” awards, including two category winners for community impact and economics. The awards aim to recognize outstanding supplier leadership in helping to provide a safe, sustainable and assured supply of food and products for the customers of the fast food chain, and to encourage the sharing of best practices in sustainability. “The...

Americas: Audit readiness highly critical, finds TraceGains survey

The 2014 Annual TraceGains’ Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) Professional Survey polled professionals from food manufacturing, processing, and distribution in the US, which revealed food safety and quality challenges. The survey has found that audit readiness is deemed critical or very important. About 75% of respondents indicated access to supplier documentation and compliance of incoming ingredients to specifications is either...

Americas: Ageing US population boosts health with functional dairy products

As the US population continues to age, dairy products that meet the nutritional needs of older consumers will become increasingly influential, according to Canadean. US dairy marketers should communicate the health benefits of their dairy products by promoting their advantages for maintaining an active lifestyle. Figures reveal that the number of people in the US aged 65 and older is set...

Europe: Low-cost packaging will support competitive prices in Spain, says report

According to a report from Canadean, low-cost packaging innovation will allow discounters and private labels to continue to take share from brands by offering more competitive prices. Using lightweight and alternative materials are among the solutions that will minimize production cost for manufacturers in the highly price sensitive Spanish market. Keep down manufacturing costs Manufacturers are under pressure to reduce costs and...